1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to water-closets, specifically to an improved automatically adjustable water closet designed for families that need to adjust the height of a toilet to accommodate various family members. It is ideal for families that contain a handicapped or disabled member, as well as for use in public facilities in which the needs of various individuals using public restrooms need to be accommodated.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
New legislation will require that all multi-dwelling buildings are adequately equipped for the handicapped starting in 1991. Adjustable bathroom fixtures (sinks, bidets, urinals, baths, toilets) would make it easier for use by the handicapped and others with special needs (elderly, disabled, children, midgets, giants).
Heretofore, most adjustable water closets have consisted of various apparatus designed to raise and lower a false toilet seat above the level of a standard toilet and to lower it again (Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,833; Austin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,552; Pearce, U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,806). From a commercial perspective these devices are relatively inexpensive. However, they contain generic safety and hygiene problems. Additionally, none of these devices adequately address the issue of stigma which the user may experience when using a device that makes it apparent to themselves and to others that they have a problem. None of these designs allow the toilet to be lowered to accommodate children or midgets.
In recent years, there has been a shift towards the design of adjustable water closets in which the toilet and accompanying plumbing is raised and lowered, thus reducing some of the safety, hygiene, and stigma concerns.
The Ohtake design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,546) allows the entire water closet to be raised and lowered to a level almost flush with the floor. This design has the benefit of being able to be used by individuals who need a toilet lowered and not only those who need it raised. Individuals benefitting from a lowered toilet would include children, individuals who prefer a Japanese style water closet, and midgets. Although Ohtake's design was an improvement over the previous art, it contained two basic design flaws: (1) There's a danger of the device tipping when in some positions, and (2) When in the lowered position it would occupy considerable space, reducing the amount of disposable living space below.
The Signori et al design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,079) uses yet another approach to raising and lowering the entire toilet bowl apparatus by using a system of bellows and hydraulic pressure. The device however, does not contain a pressure pump for increasing and maintaining pressure. It merely assumes that the natural flow of water from one chamber to another will be sufficient to generate the pressure required to lift both the apparatus and the person.
The Matthews et al design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,473) is the best to date in that it minimizes the use of space and stigma. However, some design flaws still make it implausible to use this design on a commercial basis.
The problems include:
(a) The support mechanism for the total load of person and product could easily be bent or broken and the device could collapse with continued use of heavy weight. PA1 (b) The slots required for raising and lowering the toilet also pose a potential safety hazard by providing potential pinch points. PA1 (c) The safety switch placed under the toilet to stop its movement in the event that someone becomes trapped under it, requires that someone come in direct contact with this point. This may not always be possible. PA1 (d) Although hygiene problems are considerably decreased in this design, the use of flexible tubing in the waste line still poses a hygiene problem. PA1 (e) Some commercial limitations are also posed by this design. Matthews limits has claims to adjustable toilets without a tank. In order to use these toilets within residential areas, one would be required to install a large commercial input line for flushing the required volume or make some other modifications such as adding a separate supply tank to the toilet. This would be an additional expense to the homeowner. PA1 (f) Although the wall switch is an improvement in convenience, it does not provide the level of convenience to which people are becoming accustomed.